What Android based tablets have the "easiest on eyes" screen for prolonged reading of largish PDFs?
E-ink sadly lacks the fast page flipping and zooming in/out that is desirable for large technical PDFs.
2nd requirement: the device should be relatively open to rooting, that is I want to able to load 3rd party e-reading applications. I do not wish to play in a walled garden.
Size: 7in-10in is fine, weight should not be over 1kg..
Price: $150-$300
Candidates:
Acer Iconia A100, A500:
Plus: Tegra 2 dual core CPU
Minus: price ~$300, unsure how suited these are for prolonged reading, seems to get mixed reviews
Ainol Elf & Aurora 7:
Plus: Inexpensive $140-180, reasonable CPU(single core), 1GB RAM, 1024x600 screen, IPS on Aurora, HDMI out (nice bonus), Android ICS out, Android 2.3.4 runs well
Minus: quality control is spotty, no reports of Elfs/Auroras used for prolonged reading of PDFs, might not really be meant to be an e-reader
Amazon Kindle Fire:
Plus: Amazon QC, dual core CPU, relatively easy to root, Gorillaglass screen 1024x600
Minus: reviews say screen too glossy and glares, not very comfortable, this seems to be a dealbreaker
Asus Transformer series:
Plus: powerful CPUs, Priime has quad core Tegra 3, new Prime will have a very nice screen resolution 1,920x1,200!! (still not released)
Minus: price>$300, not sure how nice the screens are for reading
Asus EA800
Plus: fascinating technology with my favorite screen reflective TFT plus Wacom for note taking
Minus: seems to be abandoned everywhere but Italy or Taiwan, mixed reviews, not open Android
B&N Nook Tablet:
Plus: 1024x600 IPS2 screen, dual core CPU, many respectable reviews give this tablet the edge over Kindle Fire, reviews note how nice the screen is for reading
Minus: With each update, B&N seems dead set against allowing of jailbreaking of its garden, very unfriendly to developers, another dealbreaker
B&N Nook Color:
Plus: respectable screen 1024x600 IPS, can be rooted
Minus: older CPU, not very powerful, big PDFs will probably choke?
Jetbook Color:
Plus: interesting color e-ink screen, early reports are very positive
Additional plus: I loved their original Jetbook screen (reflective 640x480 TFT), why didn't this technology go up to higher resolution?
Minus: runs Windows CE ?!, price >$300, pretty much locked down
Samsung Galaxy Tabs (7, 8.9, 10.1):
Plus: screens are nice, newer machines are quite powerful, can load whatever Android applications you want
Minus: price> $300+, maybe first Tab is good enough for reading?
What other candidates am I leaving out?
Anyone have any recommendations/experiences?
PS. I am currently hesitating between Ainol Elf/Aurora, Amazon Kindle Fire and B&N Nook tablet, one is unknown, one is glossy screen, and one is locked down...
PSS. I would pay $500 for a tablet if it was a perfect mix of responsive and readable and size.. but no such thing exists..